They watched a 20-point lead evaporate and trailed 12th-ranked Kansas State with 31 seconds to go.
They trailed SEC champion Mississippi by as many as five points with just four minutes left Sunday night and still trailed with 67 seconds to go.
So often in the NCAA tournament, games are decided in the final minutes, the final seconds. The team that keeps its composure is the one that advances.
Twice now, La Salle has kept its composure in the face of tremendous adversity late in an NCAA tournament game against a highly regarded opponent, and twice now, the Explorers have stayed calm, stayed cool and stayed alive in the tourney.
There are a lot of reasons La Salle is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1955. Ramon Galloway’s scoring. Sam Mills’ defense. Tyrone Garland’s heroics. Tyreek Duren’s consistency. Jerrell Wright’s power.
But maybe the biggest reason the Explorers are one win away from becoming the first No. 13 seed to reach the Elite Eight is this team’s remarkable ability to stay composed no matter how dire the situation, no matter how great the stakes.
“To have composure, you really have to believe in yourself, and these guys have had enough success individually and collectively to where they feel they can win even if they’re down,” La Salle coach John Giannini said.
“And I think our coaching staff has worked at – and myself especially – on trying to stay positive and trying to foster that kind of attitude. At the end of the day, they’re good, confident kids who listen.”
La Salle is now 7-1 this year in games decided by four or fewer points, including two-point NCAA tourney wins over K-State and Ole Miss.
The Explorers held Kansas State without a basket in the final 4:55 on Friday night on their way to a 63-61 comeback win and finished off Mississippi on a 12-5 run over the final four minutes, holding the Rebels without a basket on their last six possessions.
Play tough and play smart in the final seconds and you’re going to have a tremendous chance to advance.
“Since we got here, coach has been preaching, ‘Finish strong,’” La Salle guard Ramon Galloway said. “'Finish strong' has a lot to do with it, those two words. You’ve got to have the will. You’ve got to be poised. You’ve got to have confidence in all your teammates from the first guy on the bench to the last guy in the game. You’ve just got to finish, find a way.
“We were up. It’s been like that every game we played, we were up, feeling good. They come back. We found a way. So, I mean, I think right now we're peaking just because [we're] mentally strong. We stand poised and have great will.”
La Salle, 23-9 and winners of one NCAA tournament game in Dayton and two in Kansas City, now moves on to the West Region semifinals. The Explorers will face No. 9 seed Wichita State at approximately 10:17 p.m. Thursday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
A win moves La Salle into the West Region final on Saturday against the winner of the Ohio State-Arizona game Thursday.
Win that, and the Explorers are off to the Final Four in Atlanta.
And if not for extraordinary play on both ends in the final moments, none of this would be happening.
“We’re just mentally tough,” said junior guard Tyreek Duren, who had 19 points and four rebounds against Ole Miss. “As long as there’s time on the clock, we believe we have a chance to win, no matter what the score is.
“We just focus on digging down late in games and getting defensive stops. If we keep playing hard, we have a chance.”
La Salle’s play late in games while trailing has been remarkable. They play with poise, with no sign of panic. They run their offense, don’t rush shots, and let the game come to them.
Twice now, it’s paid off.
It all goes back to Giannini, who once upon a time as a young coach at Glassboro State often let his emotions show.
These days, no matter what’s going on, he appears calm and under control. Even as La Salle was giving away a 20-point lead to Kansas State, Giannini coached on the bench but never displayed any outward sign that La Salle’s world was caving in.
When the coach keeps his composure, it’s a heck of a lot easier for his players to do the same.
“I’m not a jacket slammer, I’m a foot stomper, so I’ve been stomping a little bit less,” he said. “I’ve got to really work on that.
“But they’ve made it much easier for me. I always tell them, ‘Listen, when you don’t give effort or you don’t listen, of course I’m going to get upset. But when you give effort and listen, I’ll be the nicest guy in the world.’
“So these guys have allowed me to be awfully nice. They’re wonderful.”